


honey in her hair (but not in the coffee)

by camtastic



Series: Leave This Town and Run Forever (Roadtrip AU) [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Ficlet, Modern Westeros, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Prequel, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 16:17:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4228560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camtastic/pseuds/camtastic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jon Snow loses his way upon entering Black Castle University.  Val helps him find it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	honey in her hair (but not in the coffee)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Snacky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snacky/gifts).



When he first arrived on the campus, Jon thought he knew his way. As it turned out, he couldn't have been more wrong. Black Castle was a sprawling, spacious university. Old met new as the one of the oldest colleges in all of Westeros had seen buildings collapse on themselves, lost to the inevitable decay of age, only to be replaced two more. Some buildings were ageless, some were as new as the first buds in spring, while others... others were a blend, ancient at the base, yet new as floors had been added and classrooms renovated. There was little rhyme or reason here. Streets were twisted and rose and fell with the hills that claimed the nearby countryside. 

Not having a map as he tried to located his adviser's office was proving to be an undeniable mistake.

Days before the rest of the students would arrive, only incoming freshman occupied campus during the cool days of late summer. It was always cool during the summers this far north; after four years at Fort Night military academy, the weather of the lands that surrounded the foundation of the structure that was known as Brandon's Wall was something that Jon Snow was all too familiar with. The brisk, chilly air blew from the north and separated those who had grown up in the gray, frigid north from those who had only ever known the near eternal heat of the south. Even thick, fur-lined jackets and woolly mittens and caps did little to stop them from shaking.

Not that it mattered. Amid the buildings of stone and timber and the cobblestone streets, they were all equally lost. Jon caught the same expression on dozens of faces, one that he was certain was mirrored on his own. Finding his way here seemed like an impossible task.

He pulled out the cellphone from his pocket and clicked it on, cursing silently as he gazed at the screen. 2:21 PM. There were less than ten minutes to find Room 997 of Keep Hall and what he'd heard of Jeor Mormont did not paint the man as someone that appreciated tardiness or excuses, no matter how good they were.

Asking for directions would have been something he gladly would have done, but there was no one around who seemed to have any inkling of where they were going. It was doubtful any of them would have been of any help. Taking a long look around, Jon surveyed the buildings; the other students may not have known which direction was which, but surely, there must have been a professor or a staff member in one of these buildings that could direct him to Keep Hall.

In this part of campus, most of the buildings were old. Round towers that rose high into the sky and long, thin halls that contained only two or three floors were the norm. They were made of stone, with roofs that looked more in place on modern houses than structures that had once stood among the walls and parapets when this had been a proper castle. Solid things with heavy, double doors made of oak and ironwood, banded and riveted with steel... they were the living reminders of Black Castle's past. 

Amount them crouched an aberration. A squat, rectangular building made of brick and mortar, with a glass door and a bright, neon sign that hung in a large window that read, "OPEN." That too seemed to be unusual; he could see people coming and going from the building alone. All the others seemed as desolate as they were gray, seemingly abandoned like so many of their brothers and sisters had been. 

Jon walked towards it.

A moment later, he was less than surprised when the sign that was painted above the door, white paint on black, revealed it to be Mance's Coffee Lounge. Inside, it reminded Jon of many northern shops. Despite the four walls being made of brick on the outside, they were lined with planks of dark wood on the inside. Posters and newspapers decorated the planks sparingly, for the main attractions were the wolf and bear pelts that hung opposite of each other on either side of the counter. The tables and chairs were the same dark, nutty brown as the planks; most were occupied by one or two people. Only a handful were either empty or full. The deep, rich aroma of dozens of types of coffee filled the air, overpowering the faint scent of freshly baked bread.

He must have looked lost because before he even had the chance to look at the girl attending the counter, she had laughed and asked him in a teasing sort of way, "Lost are you?"

Smiling ruefully, he nodded. "It's--"

"Your first day here. Just like all the others." Her hair was the color of honey and her eyes were bluer than any he'd ever seen. She looked good in the white apron and the dark clothing that must have been the shop's uniform. Her name-tag read Val. Jon had seldom seen a girl as lovely as her. 

"Yes," he nodded, walking briskly towards the counter. "I'm supposed to be at Keep Hall in..." he glanced at the clock that hung just below the blackboard menu, "...six minutes. Am I... do you know if I'm close?"

Val laughed again. "Close enough," she replied, leaning over the counter and touching a hand to his shoulder. She pointed towards the direction he'd come from. "Go that way. Keep on the right side. Follow the first path you come to on that side. It's the second building on your left. A fat, round tower that rises higher than most of the others. You can't miss it."

The sigh that followed was one that was filled with relief. Val looked amused.

"Don't be too relieved. It's more than a five minute walk there." He wanted to curse, but he nodded instead. "I need to go."

She looked at him thoughtfully. "Who're you going there to meet?"

"Jeor Mormont. He's my adviser."

The smile that followed was enigmatic. "Then wait a moment. I've something for you...?"

"Jon. I'm Jon." He didn't say his last name. He'd had his fill of attention back at Fort Night Academy.

"Jon." Val hummed as she worked, brewing two cups of coffee quicker than he would have thought possible. She finished in a moment, grabbing one of the pastries from the glass display case and slipping it into a bag, and presenting him with a tray with two coffees as well as the bag. "Here. The Old Bear likes his coffee."

Jon wanted to ask what she meant by the Old Bear, but he glanced at the clock again. Four minutes. Instead, he made for his wallet, but she waved him off. "Don't. It's on the house."

He gaped at her, unsure of what to say. She smiled again, "You'd best on your way. Coffee will only calm him so much."

"R-right. Thank you, Val."

Turning, Jon started the long trek to Keep Hall. She called out, "Feel free to come back again, Jon."

When he said he would, her laughter filled the air and he wondered if stopping by after his meeting would be too soon.


End file.
